Jazz as an "African American experience"...this has never been uttered by anyone teaching jazz today. Mr. Coryell has gone light years beyond anything one can learn in a jazz, class, camp, or instructional book. 'Experiencing' jazz from the source is the secret door that exposes jazz to all people from all walks of life. Exclusivity does not exist in jazz though it may in the minds of those insecure about not having a birthright to the art form. Beautiful words from a sensitive artist. Thank you Maestro Coryell.
The best of the best black jazz musicians praised Larry Coryell for being the supreme player he was. I wonder if you are on such a level to be making the sort of proclamations you are making. You might want to get over it.
My very first class in playing jazz the teacher stated it comes from the African American experience. The very first thing he said!!. You're statement started with BS and it continued. Music isn't racial. People are. Morgan Freeman says it right. Quit talking about it and just relate as human beings. No black, white, brown, yellow or red. Just people. We are fools labeling each other. I am a human being. That's it. Not Irish. Not white. Not anything. Just a human being. Like everyone else.
James - Adam Rafferty here. I remember you from the days of the Izzy Bar in NYC and the small Zinc bar on Houston ST. You are an incredible musician! Wow, crazy - I was seeking you out and watching your videos just yesterday - and here I see your comment today. Regarding your statement, my teacher emphasized the importance of the African rhythmic concept and the African American experience. He was the late pianist Mike Longo, and he learned & played on the bandstand with Dizzy from 64-71. Mike taught me and his other students the same African drum rudiment that DIZZY showed him, and would not let us even touch our instruments until we got the grooves perfect and got the hand drum RINGING with the correct presence of sound, touch and groove. That backbone enabled me to play thousands of gigs downtown, in Harlem, and tour with Dr Lonnie Smith, Alvin Queen and others. In fact, Mike played with Cannonball as a youngster - and because he knew how important culture was on learning the music made me "cross the tracks" i.e. go to Harlem when I was 19 because he believed there were 2 kinds of jazz musicians - those who cross the tracks, and those who don't. The African rhythmic concept is 1000 times more important to jazz than any cleverness that many modern players come up with. In fact, I'd rather play with some good R&B cats than "museum style" jazz cats who only spit back licks. I know you agree. And you can't learn it simply by clicking a metronome on 2 & 4. The "metronome concept" hardly accounts for the spiritual depth in the rhythm, but it's convenient for music schools and for people who have no idea about the true groove. So - just wanted to let you know that jazz as an African American experience is in fact being uttered, and taught by the right people, and in a way that embraces and invites all of humanity - while respectfully acknowledging the roots of the music.
Somewhere in the early Seventies a girlfriend of mine knocked at my door and walked in with a guy who had a guitar case in his hands. She had met him somewhere in our town Vlissingen in the Netherlands, She had told him that I can play the guitar as well, and so she took him to my house... I did not even recognized him at that moment. He told us, he was playing in a band and that evening he had a gig in " De Piek " a place where I and all the other local hippies used to hang out. Many world famous bands used to play there over the years. The man she took to my house was Larry Coryell !! I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when he told me his name... OMG there in my house was Larry Coryell !! We played together for one hour or so, because he had to go back to his Hotel. But when he was leaving he invited us to come to his gig. Cool fact is, I remember him telling me, That he never let somebody playing his guitar just before a gig....because I had asked him if I could play something on his guitar. There were no cell phones back then in the Seventies, so I have no pictures....Only, when he left he forgot his pick in my house.... and I still have it.
He's one of the nicest musicians and human beings I've ever met during my 23 years of life, very inspiring and rocking yet at the same time subtle and sophisticated, thank you for coffee you bought me once at the airport and chatted with me about Tolstoy and Chekhov - he's a huge Russian literature fan.
I had the honor of attending two master classes with Larry during my music school studies. He came from absolutely nothing, but his love for music was his grounding force despite having such an unstable upbringing. He had a child he was never told about young and was reunited later in life. Absolutely touching to see this great man we all love cry everytime he speaks of this experience. That and the fact he snuck onna boat wes Montgomery was performing on and camped out below deck in hiding before coming up once wes started, just so he could get close to him and learn. Amazing story of love
I'm so pleased, and proud, that I finally got to perform with Larry...in 2013 in Portland Oregon...with a reunion of the band "The Free Spirits" with Ra-Kalam Bob Moses, Columbus "Chip" Baker and Chris Hills. Jim Pepper was originally in this band, back in 1966 when I was but a 13 year old country kid. Jim died at the age of 50 in 1992. I have been spreading the gospel of Jim's music for a long time now...so it was wonderful that they asked me to participate. As Bob Moses told me; "you were the right guy for this gig..." Larry and I were from neighboring towns...but had never met until this concert. Backstage, when I told him where I was originally from he rared back and (using our school's mascots) said: "You mean I'm a Bomber and you're a Lion and we've never played together before? Get out your horn, man...let's play!" And so we did...and it was wonderful. Not that long after that, I heard of Larry's passing...and was again very humbled and yet glad that we had finally met and got to share a stage and play together. It was one of those priceless moments in one's life...
Wow! You are truly fortunate..I ended up with Dick Lurie at Cleveland State. The scars from the grilling are still healing up. I did learn a lot from him,despite his curmudgeonlyness.
I'm so glad I saw him months before he passed. He came outside and was so personable. I kept thinking... "Wow, what does he do to have such a full, beautiful head of hair?" It was obvious he loves to play. Miss him...
well said .... many of your comments were great . .......mine is simply that, L C was a regular guy with an extrordinary gift of musical knowlage on guitar and. he will continue to teach us from beyond with the technolagy we have today .
Virtuoso guitarist here, folks! Love you Larry, RIP my musical god(s) including TS Monk, one of the founding members of Be-Bop, RIP Thelonius Sphere Monk.
Larry’s music embodies all that is necessary when it comes to musical expression. He doesn’t think about what he’s trying to play he realizes his fingers has to interpret notes that his mind gives him the opportunity to decipher in real time. Therefore there is never a moment when one would say “but I didn’t want to play that note” you play in the moment,nothing is planned nothing is right or wrong about what note you choose to play at any given time. it’s all expression of what the mind interprets and how your fingers perceive it.
I have always loved his music since early 70’s. And now that I saw this vid, I admire/respect him as a person. After all, it makes sense - he truly understood the essence of Jazz : Jazz is the African American experience, and that’s where MLK comes in. Larry Coryell was no ordinary musician.
I met Larry backstage one time. Thank God I didn't say anything stupid like I did when I met Herb Ellis where I said, "Hey, you're pretty good." and he shot a look back and said "Pretty good??" to which I hit the water with "Yeah, you're alright."
Coryell fan for a long time but never a Jazz player, well outside of GB's Breezin' ;) Rock guy. Did love Larry's Fairyland release from like '71, opening track, Souls Dirge. Rips !! End of song after an 'ehhhh' at the breakdown, "Well, that's not the way we rehearsed this, but that's Jazz..." Snare drum slap from Bernard Purdy. Pretty funny. Rest In Peace, Larry Coryell.
It's the first movement from the "Mother Goose Suite" (Ma Mere l'Oye) originally written as a piano duet for children and later brilliantly orchestrated by Ravel.
Assume you mean unaccompanied guitar. In somewhat chronological logical order: standing ovation, European impressions, American odyssey, Rite of Spring- Petrochka- Firebird suite by Stravinsky, new york blues, Scheherazade by Rimsky Korsakav, Bolero, Visions in Blue, dragon gate, 12 frets to one octave, Private concert. A very large canvas of music!
Truth! I was self taught for years, and in truth nobody can teach you other than yourself. But, my life and my playing fundamentally changed when I found a master to go to. Jazz is a lineage. You gotta seek out the masters, you gotta shed a lot (and then some more) and you gotta play lots of gigs. But what else feels this good?
I'm really glad it worked out for you Jeremy. I love the jazzers...totally blown away by their expertise and general wonderfulness, very jealous knowing I could never achieve that standard. Still, over the past 40 years, I've established a personal style nobody could copy and probably wouldn't want to. A mix of John Martyn, Steve Hillage some Jansch but definitely no words
To me,Mr Coryell,u are one of the main reasons I have to adhere to the principles of Ma'at,that being,one cannot respond negatively in total to what many of your brethren perpetuate against my brethren, and by that I Mean,as men and women of color,may u go to your ancestors in peace!!!
i guess the thing is that it does and yet it doesn't. Music doesn't develop in a vacuum, all different styles overlap and integrate but at the same time they are all performed differently with different rules and ways of playing, and the jazz way of playing, (stylistically and traditionally speaking) is a completely different animal than folk and classic
He is just generalising on the fact that to play true Jazz you have to embrace the African American experience which is outside of western folk/ classical tradition. Of course from a harmonic, etc point there are links between Jazz and many other types of music. However, unless that key element is in your consciousness you will only play the notes in Jazz. It's a shame many find that hard to accept.
Admire his skill but can't help feeling jazz lost it's way when it ceased to be entertainment and instead became a vehicle for virtue signallers. The visibility of talented black men is the important message. Like kneeling at sports events, politics always seems to end up polluting things.
I disagree, I think its important to have some sort of appreciation for the people and cultures that music comes from. I dont think music exists purely for entertainment, but to understand that a persons art is a literal extension of themselves, a telling of their life.
Larry Coryell doesn't rock anything but a bad guitar sound and shitty chops. Man, I don't understand how a "guitarist" with such bad everything becomes so popular.
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Jazz as an "African American experience"...this has never been uttered by anyone teaching jazz today. Mr. Coryell has gone light years beyond anything one can learn in a jazz, class, camp, or instructional book. 'Experiencing' jazz from the source is the secret door that exposes jazz to all people from all walks of life. Exclusivity does not exist in jazz though it may in the minds of those insecure about not having a birthright to the art form. Beautiful words from a sensitive artist. Thank you Maestro Coryell.
moron
The best of the best black jazz musicians praised Larry Coryell for being the supreme player he was. I wonder if you are on such a level to be making the sort of proclamations you are making. You might want to get over it.
In short: art doesn't appear in a vacuum. It is the result of the culture in which it was created.
My very first class in playing jazz the teacher stated it comes from the African American experience. The very first thing he said!!.
You're statement started with BS and it continued. Music isn't racial. People are. Morgan Freeman says it right. Quit talking about it and just relate as human beings. No black, white, brown, yellow or red. Just people. We are fools labeling each other. I am a human being. That's it. Not Irish. Not white. Not anything. Just a human being. Like everyone else.
James - Adam Rafferty here. I remember you from the days of the Izzy Bar in NYC and the small Zinc bar on Houston ST. You are an incredible musician! Wow, crazy - I was seeking you out and watching your videos just yesterday - and here I see your comment today.
Regarding your statement, my teacher emphasized the importance of the African rhythmic concept and the African American experience. He was the late pianist Mike Longo, and he learned & played on the bandstand with Dizzy from 64-71. Mike taught me and his other students the same African drum rudiment that DIZZY showed him, and would not let us even touch our instruments until we got the grooves perfect and got the hand drum RINGING with the correct presence of sound, touch and groove. That backbone enabled me to play thousands of gigs downtown, in Harlem, and tour with Dr Lonnie Smith, Alvin Queen and others. In fact, Mike played with Cannonball as a youngster - and because he knew how important culture was on learning the music made me "cross the tracks" i.e. go to Harlem when I was 19 because he believed there were 2 kinds of jazz musicians - those who cross the tracks, and those who don't.
The African rhythmic concept is 1000 times more important to jazz than any cleverness that many modern players come up with. In fact, I'd rather play with some good R&B cats than "museum style" jazz cats who only spit back licks. I know you agree. And you can't learn it simply by clicking a metronome on 2 & 4. The "metronome concept" hardly accounts for the spiritual depth in the rhythm, but it's convenient for music schools and for people who have no idea about the true groove.
So - just wanted to let you know that jazz as an African American experience is in fact being uttered, and taught by the right people, and in a way that embraces and invites all of humanity - while respectfully acknowledging the roots of the music.
Somewhere in the early Seventies a girlfriend of mine knocked at my door and walked in with a guy who had a guitar case in his hands.
She had met him somewhere in our town Vlissingen in the Netherlands, She had told him that I can play the guitar as well, and so she took him to my house... I did not even recognized him at that moment.
He told us, he was playing in a band and that evening he had a gig in " De Piek " a place where I and all the other local hippies used to hang out.
Many world famous bands used to play there over the years.
The man she took to my house was Larry Coryell !! I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when he told me his name... OMG there in my house was Larry Coryell !!
We played together for one hour or so, because he had to go back to his Hotel. But when he was leaving he invited us to come to his gig.
Cool fact is, I remember him telling me, That he never let somebody playing his guitar just before a gig....because I had asked him if I could play something on his guitar.
There were no cell phones back then in the Seventies, so I have no pictures....Only, when he left he forgot his pick in my house.... and I still have it.
Wow that’s an incredible story, so cool. Any more details about the show later that night?
He's one of the nicest musicians and human beings I've ever met during my 23 years of life, very inspiring and rocking yet at the same time subtle and sophisticated, thank you for coffee you bought me once at the airport and chatted with me about Tolstoy and Chekhov - he's a huge Russian literature fan.
PanterAmetal100
You
Man, what a delight is to listen to him.
When you reach his level, your hair will turn epic like that. Just like when Moses came down from the mountain.
Great truth
God Bless you Larry Coryell..you will be missed..
???
I had the honor of attending two master classes with Larry during my music school studies. He came from absolutely nothing, but his love for music was his grounding force despite having such an unstable upbringing. He had a child he was never told about young and was reunited later in life. Absolutely touching to see this great man we all love cry everytime he speaks of this experience. That and the fact he snuck onna boat wes Montgomery was performing on and camped out below deck in hiding before coming up once wes started, just so he could get close to him and learn. Amazing story of love
Amen, Larry Coryell. A great musician. I wish I'd met him.
Larry is very cool...and a nice guy. Thanks for sharing his coolness.
RIP you amazing person. You inspired me when I was very young! Will never forget you Larry!!
I'm so pleased, and proud, that I finally got to perform with Larry...in 2013 in Portland Oregon...with a reunion of the band "The Free Spirits" with Ra-Kalam Bob Moses, Columbus "Chip" Baker and Chris Hills. Jim Pepper was originally in this band, back in 1966 when I was but a 13 year old country kid. Jim died at the age of 50 in 1992. I have been spreading the gospel of Jim's music for a long time now...so it was wonderful that they asked me to participate. As Bob Moses told me; "you were the right guy for this gig..." Larry and I were from neighboring towns...but had never met until this concert. Backstage, when I told him where I was originally from he rared back and (using our school's mascots) said: "You mean I'm a Bomber and you're a Lion and we've never played together before? Get out your horn, man...let's play!" And so we did...and it was wonderful. Not that long after that, I heard of Larry's passing...and was again very humbled and yet glad that we had finally met and got to share a stage and play together. It was one of those priceless moments in one's life...
Coryell was my teacher and boy, the guy was great!
Wow! You are truly fortunate..I ended up with Dick Lurie at Cleveland State. The scars from the grilling are still healing up. I did learn a lot from him,despite his curmudgeonlyness.
So much truth. I really appreciate Larry's respect for the origins of jazz.
I'm so glad I saw him months before he passed. He came outside and was so personable. I kept thinking... "Wow, what does he do to have such a full, beautiful head of hair?" It was obvious he loves to play. Miss him...
Larry Coryell... RIP.
He is truly one of the most underrated guitar wizards.
Not underrated -- those of us who love music, who love jazz, love Larry.
He’s been there for decades. I’m rate him …high.
dude, that Dr King's inspired tune. Was of such a good taste.
underated? you mean the other guitarist are over rated compared to him, he is on a different whole level
wonderful player!! Love his playing, especially with Gary Burton.
well said .... many of your comments were great . .......mine is simply that, L C was a regular guy with an extrordinary gift of musical knowlage on guitar and. he will continue to teach us from beyond with the technolagy we have today .
I went to see him back in the late 70' s ,he could play
Virtuoso guitarist here, folks! Love you Larry, RIP my musical god(s) including TS Monk, one of the founding members of Be-Bop, RIP Thelonius Sphere Monk.
Thanks Larry for the knowledge.
Larry’s music embodies all that is necessary when it comes to musical expression. He doesn’t think about what he’s trying to play he realizes his fingers has to interpret notes that his mind gives him the opportunity to decipher in real time. Therefore there is never a moment when one would say “but I didn’t want to play that note” you play in the moment,nothing is planned nothing is right or wrong about what note you choose to play at any given time. it’s all expression of what the mind interprets and how your fingers perceive it.
The great LC. His playing was just up my street.
R.I.P. Larry....You have inspired countless people including myself.
Listen and learn from a pro. Thank you for this video.
I have always loved his music since early 70’s. And now that I saw this vid, I admire/respect him as a person. After all, it makes sense - he truly understood the essence of Jazz : Jazz is the African American experience, and that’s where MLK comes in. Larry Coryell was no ordinary musician.
Excellent points ! Thanks
He really has been to the mountain do doubt....incredible...RIP Larry
Thank you Larry
I met Larry backstage one time. Thank God I didn't say anything stupid like I did when I met Herb Ellis where I said, "Hey, you're pretty good." and he shot a look back and said "Pretty good??" to which I hit the water with "Yeah, you're alright."
Coryell fan for a long time but never a Jazz player, well outside of GB's Breezin' ;)
Rock guy.
Did love Larry's Fairyland release from like '71, opening track, Souls Dirge. Rips !!
End of song after an 'ehhhh' at the breakdown, "Well, that's not the way we rehearsed this, but that's Jazz..." Snare drum slap from Bernard Purdy.
Pretty funny.
Rest In Peace, Larry Coryell.
Great creative artist and innovator.
Yes, The New Human Revolution. Thanks for that. R.I.P. and hurry back!!
Just listened to the posted video of you playing. You would do well to listen to this giant.
What he was talking about the feeling of jazz made me think of The Feeling of Jazz by Coltrane and Ellington, check it out!
True Giant !!!
well done..
"Psychology of the Music Masters" - VERY INTERESTING - @
R.I.P. Larry Coryell...
what?
m hampton
Thelonious one of the greatest composers! I dig Larry and also Paco
Genius at work!
What kind of guitar is Larry playing?
le them know of this black art form
Nice!
Larry is always on point. A shame some guys miss the point. I guess you have to already be playing at a certain level to get it...
thank you
love jazz
1:25 what's he playing?
Does anyone know what Ravel piece that is?
It's the first movement from the "Mother Goose Suite" (Ma Mere l'Oye) originally written as a piano duet for children and later brilliantly orchestrated by Ravel.
robert72744 Thank you very much.
Want tune is he playing at 0:51 seconds?
Impressions, by John Coltrane. He plays the melody a bit earlier than that.
What guitar is that? so gorgeous and he plays it so well
+ArtyoneT I have been listening to him since 72,... this is the best sounding guitar he has palyed
Looks like the Loar.
It is a new archtop built by Ken Parker..known for the Parker "Fly" guitar.
Thx
Time for the Legacy Labels to get the whole historical WorldMusic JazzFusion Musician Documentaries to ThePeople ~
Does anyone know if Larry ever made a solo record?
Assume you mean unaccompanied guitar. In somewhat chronological logical order: standing ovation, European impressions, American odyssey, Rite of Spring- Petrochka- Firebird suite by Stravinsky, new york blues, Scheherazade by Rimsky Korsakav, Bolero, Visions in Blue, dragon gate, 12 frets to one octave, Private concert. A very large canvas of music!
Wow! Thank you leoosiku.
Welcome
Deep
Anyone recognize the Ravel he played?
old comment... but if you see this I think it was Pavane For a Princess... pretty sure
"Ma mère l'oye"
Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty
what guitar is that?
it is a chizprout made by Milos Cragnette
JP Algarath Thank you
It's a Parker PJ14
A nice one.
I would, but the truth is I'm legitimately afraid of my face being melting by his steamy hot freshness
profound.
Truth! I was self taught for years, and in truth nobody can teach you other than yourself. But, my life and my playing fundamentally changed when I found a master to go to. Jazz is a lineage. You gotta seek out the masters, you gotta shed a lot (and then some more) and you gotta play lots of gigs. But what else feels this good?
I'm really glad it worked out for you Jeremy. I love the jazzers...totally blown away by their expertise and general wonderfulness, very jealous knowing I could never achieve that standard. Still, over the past 40 years, I've established a personal style nobody could copy and probably wouldn't want to. A mix of John Martyn, Steve Hillage some Jansch but definitely no words
There is an element of being a bit 'outside' that plays into the Jazz feel, but that has nothing to do with skin color any more.
To me,Mr Coryell,u are one of the main reasons I have to adhere to the principles of Ma'at,that being,one cannot respond negatively in total to what many of your brethren perpetuate against my brethren, and by that I Mean,as men and women of color,may u go to your ancestors in peace!!!
African/American but harmony is European mostly.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is Great Mr, Ikeda I don't know . Kind of Don't Trust Him??
Great musician he's played with everybody but no one remembers him when talking in jazz or guitar circles
BS
:-)
The bit he missed out was......Don't do drugs.
Don't worry your spelling will improve when you get to highschool.
Since when does jazz have nothing to do with folk music or classical music? -_-
i guess the thing is that it does and yet it doesn't. Music doesn't develop in a vacuum, all different styles overlap and integrate but at the same time they are all performed differently with different rules and ways of playing, and the jazz way of playing, (stylistically and traditionally speaking) is a completely different animal than folk and classic
Oh yes there is a musical linkage to folk and classical. It's up to you as a jazz musician to create one.
He is just generalising on the fact that to play true Jazz you have to embrace the African American experience which is outside of western folk/ classical tradition. Of course from a harmonic, etc point there are links between Jazz and many other types of music. However, unless that key element is in your consciousness you will only play the notes in Jazz. It's a shame many find that hard to accept.
Admire his skill but can't help feeling jazz lost it's way when it ceased to be entertainment and instead became a vehicle for virtue signallers. The visibility of talented black men is the important message. Like kneeling at sports events, politics always seems to end up polluting things.
I disagree, I think its important to have some sort of appreciation for the people and cultures that music comes from. I dont think music exists purely for entertainment, but to understand that a persons art is a literal extension of themselves, a telling of their life.
Larry was a great guitarist...too bad about the drug problems and the fact he went politically mad at the end of his life.
Learning jazz is like learning to speak Latin...it's good to know, but you'll hardly ever use it because nobody wants to hear it.
Stan Kowalski what a horrible analogy...
I Destroy Jazz in The Jazz Destroyers.
Larry Coryell doesn't rock anything but a bad guitar sound and shitty chops. Man, I don't understand how a "guitarist" with such bad everything becomes so popular.
Henung Homseby u miss the boat about Cordell, it's about the poetry within the music. Distillation
If you live for smooth jazz that's your problem. I would be embarrassed to have uttered your statement.
Henung Homseby listen to spaces an you might change your mind!!!
I am not surprised your site shows no subscribers. Try to find something positive to say for your own sake, man.
That's because you are an idiot.
the most overrated jazz guitarist ever..
Nice !